


The Partner Protocol

by summers-maclay-lehane (ofstormsandwolves)



Series: back before dawn [4]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, Canonical Child Abuse, Child Abuse, Episode: s02e11 Ted, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-03-01
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,993
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931155
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ofstormsandwolves/pseuds/summers-maclay-lehane
Summary: When Joyce gets a new boyfriend, neither Buffy or Dawn are too happy about it. But things quickly turn ugly as their potential new step-dad tries to assert his dominance over the Summers sisters.
Series: back before dawn [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1601470
Comments: 6
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

Buffy had been acting funny ever since Ford arrived in town. She wouldn’t give Dawn the details, but one day she’d been totally excited about seeing her old crush, and then the next day she wouldn’t even talk about him. When Joyce had asked about him a few days later, Buffy had just mumbled something about him leaving town with a sad look on her face that Dawn couldn’t figure out.

It didn’t make sense. When Buffy had been Dawn’s age, she’d been obsessed with Billy Fordham. And him showing up in Sunnydale had to be like, fate, or something. Maybe it was to do with Angel, Dawn mused. Maybe Buffy and Angel had fallen out about Ford. Or maybe Ford had changed just like Buffy had, and Buffy no longer wanted to be friends with him.

She’d tried her best to find out what exactly had happened, but Dawn was finding it had to get the details out of anyone. Willow and Xander insisted they were rather fuzzy about the whole thing, and when she had asked Giles at the library, he had stuttered a lot and made his excuses to shut himself away in his office.  


So now, Dawn trailed down the dark street behind Buffy, Willow, and Xander, sulking as they made their way home. It had been yet another afternoon where she had attended the homework club at Sunnydale High, with Joyce working late at the gallery. She had hoped it would mean she would finally find out about Ford, but clearly her sister was never planning on discussing that topic again. Instead, Buffy and her friends were chatting happily as they headed down the street.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Xander insisted.

“Xander, he was obviously in charge,” Willow protested.

“He was a puppet!” Xander countered. “She was using him!”

“He didn’t seem the type of guy who would let himself be used.”

Xander scoffed. “Well, that was her genius! He didn’t even know he was playing second fiddle.”

As Willow and Xander dragged Buffy into the conversation, Dawn realised her sister hadn’t been paying attention. And apparently they’d noticed too.

“I’m sorry. I was just...” Buffy trailed off.

“Thinking?” Willow suggested.

Buffy shook her head. “No, not thinking. Having a lot of happy non-thoughts. I love it when things are quiet around here.”

“Yeah,” Xander agreed. “With Spike and Drusilla out of the way, we’ve really been ridin’ the mellow, and I am really jinxing the hell out of us by saying that.”

Buffy grinned. “Yeah, but we’ll let you off this time.”

As they made their way up the path to 1630 Revello Drive, Dawn saw Willow glance at her before leaning in close to Buffy to whisper something. Dawn strained to hear, and heard something about assassins.

“Assassins?” Dawn squeaked, causing the three teens to jump. “You fought assassins?”

Buffy shot Willow a look, and the redhead looked embarrassed.

“It’s none of your business,” Buffy said, before walking up the steps to the porch.

“And speaking of ‘none of your business’,” Xander said, “how’s Angel? Pretend I care.”

He flashed Buffy a smile, and she returned it a little shyly. 

“Getting better.”

“Better?” Dawn echoed, hurrying forward. “Why? What happened to Angel?”

“Nothing you need to know about,” Buffy sighed. “Dawn, seriously, you shouldn’t be worrying about any of this.” Shaking her head, she turned back to the front door with her key in hand before freezing. 

She hesitantly reached forward, pushing on the door, and it swung open. Everyone was silent.

“You guys wait here a second,” Buffy said quietly, glancing over her shoulder. She caught Dawn’s gaze. “I mean it, Dawn.”

And then she disappeared inside.

* * *

It was the sound of breaking glass and Joyce’s loud ‘No!’ that brought Dawn scrambling into the house only moments after Buffy. Despite knowing her sister wanted her to wait outside, and despite Xander’s best efforts to stop her, Dawn couldn’t help but think back to when Darla had attacked her mom, couldn’t help but think about her mom bleeding on the kitchen floor...

She skidded to a halt beside Buffy in the kitchen doorway, frowning at the man who was in the kitchen with her mom.

“Uh, these are my daughters, Buffy and Dawn,” Joyce said awkwardly to the man. “Girls, this is Ted.”

There was a long, awkward silence as the girls both stared at the man. 

“Uh, Buff?” Xander’s nervous voice called from the front door. “Everything ok?”

Still staring at Ted, Buffy frowned. “I guess so,” she called back.

Ted gave an awkward, tight smile at that, and Joyce shifted awkwardly as Willow and Xander appeared behind Buffy and Dawn.

“Oh! You’ve got someone here,” Willow said, flushing red. “We, we should go.” She turned to Xander. “Xander, we should go.”

“Ah, well,” Ted said hesitantly, stepping forward, “we haven’t eaten yet. Would you kids like some food?”

Dawn scrunched her nose up a little at that. The man sounded too eager to please as far as she was concerned, and a glance at her sister told her Buffy was thinking the same. She didn’t like the idea of this man in their kitchen, eating their food. Why couldn’t he just leave?

“Ted, are you sure?” Joyce was asking him worriedly. “I know you didn’t intend to spend this evening cooking for my daughters and their friends-”

“It’s fine, Joyce,” Ted said with a smile that made Dawn feel a little ill. It reminded her of how her dad used to look at her mom, back when they were still happy. What right did this Ted have to look at their mom like that? “Besides, I had to meet them at some point.”

Joyce seemed to consider this for a moment, and she relaxed before nodding with a smile. Ted smiled, and clapped his hands together.

“How do mini pizzas sound?”

Beside Dawn, Buffy’s jaw was tight. “It sounds like I need to have a talk with my mom. In private.”

“Buffy,” Joyce admonished, though she was looking a little uncertain.

But Ted held up a hand, smiling. “Say no more. How about I get started on the food, and you girls can have a chat with your mother.” He looked to Willow and Xander. “Would you two like to be my tasters?”

Xander grinned. “Well, I never turn down free food, so that’s a yes!”

* * *

While Xander and Willow helped Ted in the kitchen, Buffy, Dawn, and Joyce moved through to the sitting room. Both Buffy and Dawn stood side by side, arms folded across their chests as they fixed their mom with a steely gaze.

“So,” Buffy said pointedly. “All these late nights at the gallery recently I gather you were cataloguing more than art.”

Joyce shifted uncomfortably, looking at her two daughters. “Well, I... I’ve been looking for the right moment to introduce you. He’s a wonderful man.”

Dawn glared. “I don’t like him,” she said immediately, pouting.

Joyce’s face fell, and a tiny part of Dawn felt a little bad about that, but it was true. She didn’t like Ted. She could hear him laughing and joking with Willow and Xander, and she didn’t like it. And it wasn’t just her- clearly Buffy wasn’t convinced either.

“How’d you meet?” Buffy asked, causing Dawn to blink up at her in confusion.

“Oh,” Joyce said, sounding a little surprised, “he sells, uh, computer software. He redid my entire system at the gallery, freed up a lot of my time.”

“To meet new people,” Buffy nodded. “And smooch them in our kitchen.”

Dawn sniggered a little at that, and pulled a face. Joyce looked a little embarrassed.

“You weren’t supposed to see that,” she admitted.

“Believe me, I didn’t _want_ to see it,” Buffy retorted, before frowning.

Shaking her head, Joyce moved past her daughters. “I’m sorry, alright? Now why don’t you come and meet Ted properly?”

The two girls shared a look at that, before reluctantly following their mom back through to the kitchen. Ted looked up with a smile as they came in, and grabbed a plate of mini pizzas.

“Hungry?” he asked, offering the food to Buffy and Dawn.

Dawn glanced to Buffy. Was she expected to be polite? Should she take one? She really didn’t want to eat anything Ted had cooked, no matter how much she loved pizza, but if she refused would she be yelled at?

“No, thanks,” Buffy said, giving the man a tight smile.

Dawn relaxed a little at that. If Buffy had refused, it meant she could too. “I’m fine,” she said, ignoring the small frown from her mother.

Ted, however, seemed unbothered by this, and he set the pizzas down on the kitchen worktop. “Now, girls, I want to apologise. That wasn’t how I wanted us to meet. I wanted it to be... Perfect. I’m very fond of your mother; I guess that’s pretty obvious. I know you’re the most important things in her life,” he gestured at the photo of Buffy, Dawn, and Joyce on the fridge, “and, well, gosh, that makes you pretty important to me, too.”

Joyce padded across the kitchen to stand beside Ted then, and fixed her girls with a smile. “I really want the pair of you to be ok with this.”

“Beg to differ,” Ted countered, with a smile. “ _We_ want you to be ok with this.”

As they both smiled at Buffy and Dawn, Dawn tried her hardest not to grimace. There was just something a little unsettling about the whole thing, and she wasn’t sure if it was just her imagination. It felt a little too forced, a little too cosy, and it reminded Dawn of all those perfect families you saw on television. The ones who all wore matching sweaters and smiled too much and had a spotless house kept clean by the doting mother who did nothing but stay at home and tidy up all day.

“I’m ok,” Buffy said, and Dawn forced herself to nod in agreement.

“You are?” Joyce asked, sounding like she didn’t want to get her hopes up.

“I am,” Buffy said.

Dawn didn’t mention that the smile adorning her sister’s face didn’t reach her eyes.

* * *

“What do you think of Ted?”

Dawn was sat cross-legged on her sister’s bed, watching as the sixteen year old got ready for patrol. Buffy wrinkled her nose at the question, and glanced at her little sister.

“I don’t know,” the older girl admitted slowly. “Mom seems happy.”

“I meant what I told Mom,” Dawn said stubbornly. “I _don’t_ like him.”

Buffy pursed her lips. “We don’t really know him,” she said in a tone that sounded that not even she was convinced by her own argument. “Maybe he’s just one of those people who take a while to get used to?”

“Well, I don’t want to get used to him,” Dawn countered. “Can’t you just slay him or something?”

Buffy sighed. “Unfortunately no. I’m a vampire slayer, Dawnie, not a human slayer. There’s a big red ‘X’ next to the question asking ‘can I kill humans’.”

Dawn huffed in annoyance, before having a thought. “Well, what if he isn’t human? Can you slay him then?”

Her older sister fixed her with a pointed look. “Dawnie.”

“Fine,” Dawn said, flopping back on her sister’s bed in a sulk. “But don’t blame me when we get stuck with him.”

Buffy gave her a tight smile and tugged her to her feet. “Come on, back to your own room. Mom already thinks you’re in bed. I’ve got to go on patrol anyway.”

Halfway out of her sister’s room, Dawn paused, and turned back to her sister. Buffy was midway through the process of climbing out the window.

“Buffy?”

Buffy paused, and looked back at her sister with a frown.

Dawn gave a small smile. “Be safe, ok?”

* * *

“Ah,” Xander said, grinning as he saw the hole they were stood at, “the dreaded five-par cuckoo clock. Ha! So many have come, so few have conquered.”

Dawn wasn’t entirely sure how it had happened, but Buffy had come home from school a few days earlier in a huff and muttering something about Ted and miniature golf. And then over dinner- which Ted thankfully wasn’t there for- Joyce had announced Ted was taking them all to play mini golf on Saturday, and Buffy had spent the rest of the meal sulking. 

The only good thing about mini golf with Ted was that he’d invited Willow and Xander to come along with them, and Dawn hoped that meant she and Buffy wouldn’t have to spend too much time with their mom’s new boyfriend. But even with four kids there Ted managed to push his way front and centre, criticising Dawn’s technique and giving Buffy pointers she hadn’t asked for. By the sixth hole, both sisters were glowering in the warm sun as everyone else laughed and joked around them.

“That picnic was delicious,” Joyce was saying as Xander took a terrible shot. “You know how rare it is to find a man that cooks?”

“I know I’ve been looking a long time for one,” Ted smiled, before turning his attention to Buffy. “So, Buffy, I bet the boys are lined up around the block trying to get a date with you.”

Dawn saw her sister cringe a little at the question.

“Not really.”

“Oh, they are,” Willow chipped in excitedly, apparently missing Buffy’s embarrassment, “but she’s only interested in-” She broke off quickly as Buffy nudged her, and suddenly Willow was scrambling for a cover. “Uh, her studies! ‘Book cracker Buffy’, it’s kind of her nickname!”

Dawn suppressed a smirk at Willow’s terrible cover, but her amusement quickly faded at Ted’s remark.

“Well, glad to hear it. I bet that means your grades will be picking up soon.” He bent down to place his ball on the mark.

Buffy flushed red. “My grades?” Moving quickly over to Joyce, Buffy scowled. “How does he know about my grades?”

“I told him,” Joyce shrugged, unbothered. “He wants to know everything about you.” She gave a pointed look to Dawn. “Both of you. He’s concerned. That’s a good thing.” Her attention was pulled back to Ted as he took his shot. “Ooh, nice shot, Ted!”

Still scowling, Buffy stepped away from their mom. Dawn frowned. She didn’t like the idea of Joyce just telling Ted stuff about them. They still knew so little about him. Well, actually, Joyce talked a lot about Ted, but it was the annoying sort of talk, the stuff they didn’t want to know about. Somehow the idea of him knowing things about them felt a little weird to Dawn and she couldn’t put her finger on why. Her mom still hardly knew him. Why was she telling him all this stuff? Moving across to stand with her sister, Dawn couldn’t help but feel a little better when Buffy put her arm around her.

* * *

The next hole had a castle, and once more Ted was intent on giving Buffy advice she hadn’t asked for as she took her shot. “Keep your eye on the ball. Watch those elbows!”

Buffy swung her club too hard, causing the ball to bounce off the castle and into the rough. The scowl on her sister’s face told Dawn that the older girl was still in a bad mood, and when Ted felt the need to comment ‘bad luck, little lady’, she saw her sister’s scowl deepen.

“Oh, we won’t count it,” Joyce said happily as Buffy went to retrieve her ball.

“We won’t?” Ted asked in a hurt voice.

His tone made Dawn dislike him even more than she already did. Why was he so hurt over a stupid game of mini golf? She was eleven and not even _she_ was taking it that seriously. From the way Buffy had paused in retrieving her ball, it was clear that she shared Dawn’s sentiments about Ted’s tone of voice.

“Well, it’s just miniature golf,” Joyce said with a small frown.

“It is,” Ted agreed slowly, “but the rules are the rules. And what we teach her is what she takes out into the world when we’re not there, whether it’s at school or an un-chaperoned party.” He turned to look at Buffy. “I don’t mean to overstep my bounds, this is between you and your mother, I just think right is right.”

But Buffy didn’t look convinced by his apparent apology, and frankly Dawn wasn’t either. So Joyce’s remark had them both frowning.

“He has a point,” she said, looking apologetic.

Dawn caught Buffy’s eye at that. Their mom had never been all that big on following the rules for things like this. She had never minded giving either of them a second chance at a shot when they’d played mini golf before. Their dad never minded either. It was just Ted who was so convinced that the world would end if they allowed Buffy to take the shot again.

“Fine,” Buffy said sharply. “I’ll just go hit my ball from the rough.”

Buffy disappeared behind the castle then, and while Willow, Xander, and Joyce chatted quietly, Dawn saw Ted slowly circle the castle. With a frown, she followed him, wondering what he was doing.

“Hey, how ‘bout that?” Buffy’s voice came cheerily from behind the castle. “Got a hole in two!”

“Beg to differ,” Dawn heard Ted say, and his voice sounded cold.

Creeping round the castle a little more, she frowned as she saw Ted. He was standing with his back to her, tapping his ankle hard with his golf club. His whole posture was stiff, and Dawn could see Buffy frowning at him in confusion.

“Ok,” Buffy said, “so fine my score or whatever.”

“I think you’re missing the point here, little lady. Right is right, and wrong is wrong. Why don’t people see that?”

Buffy wrinkled her nose. “It’s just a game?”

“Right,” Ted said patronisingly. “It’s just a game, do your own thing. Well, I’m not wired that way. And I am here to tell you it is _not_ a game! It _does_ count, and I don’t stand for that kind of malarkey in my house!”

Buffy’s gaze had dropped to where Ted had been hitting his ankle with the golf club, but she lifted her eyes at his final comment and fixed him with a pointed stare. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not in your house.”

Ted moved closer then, and Dawn watched with wide eyes.

“Do you want me to slap that smart-ass mouth of yours?”

Buffy’s eyes went wide, and Dawn’s blood ran cold as she saw the look of disbelief and fear on her sister’s face.

“Hey!” Dawn yelled, rounding the castle quickly. “It’s just a _game_!”

Buffy shook her head quickly, but Dawn ignored her as Ted turned to look at the younger girl. His expression almost made her run back behind the castle, but she stood her ground instead.

“Mini golf is dumb anyway,” Dawn continued. “We’re not little kids, and we’re only here because Mom made us come. And besides, our dad wouldn’t care if we cheated a little bit, so why do you?”

Ted stepped closer to Dawn, and Buffy quickly ran round to get between the pair of them.

“Your dad’s not here anymore, Dawn,” Ted said with a sneer. “And you two need to learn that. I’m not a pushover like your father was, and I certainly won’t tolerate either of you talking back to me. Am I clear? Or do I have to take you over my knee?”

Dawn sucked in a scared breath then, tears welling in her eyes, and Buffy took a step back from Ted, pushing Dawn with her.

And then suddenly, Ted was straightening up, all smiles as he looked at something behind them. The two sisters looked round to see Joyce, Willow, and Xander rounding the edge of the castle, and Ted clapped his hands together happily. 

“Who’s up for dessert? I made chocolate chip cookies!”

As Joyce produced the bag of cookies from her purse, Buffy and Dawn watched with wide, confused eyes.

“Buffy?” Dawn asked quietly, still trying to process what had happened.

Buffy responded by slipping her hand into Dawn’s and squeezing it tight. As everyone tucked into the cookies, Ted was busy announcing how he’d made too many, and that Willow and Xander would have to take some with them. As Joyce praised Ted for the cookies, Dawn pushed herself further into her sister’s side, hoping for some sort of comfort.  
But the confused and disbelieving look still on Buffy’s face suggested that maybe Dawn wouldn’t find the comfort she was looking for after all.

* * *

Monday morning saw Joyce up and in the kitchen long before either of her daughters. When they finally joined her, the kitchen island already had a plate of sticky buns set out and Joyce was quick to pull a carton of juice from the fridge.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Joyce announced with a smile as Buffy entered the kitchen.

Dawn trailed after and sat at the kitchen island.

“Hey,” Buffy greeted, trying to hide a yawn.

Joyce stood on the opposite side of the island, smiling at her daughters. “I’ve got juice, I’ve got sticky buns, oh, don’t they smell good!”

Buffy reached for a bun while Dawn poured herself some juice.

“Ted made them,” Joyce told Buffy.

Almost immediately, the sixteen year old dropped the bun again, and Dawn stiffened, inadvertently overfilling her glass and spilling orange juice all over the counter.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Joyce sighed, already moving to grab a cloth.

“Sorry,” Dawn said quietly as Buffy pushed the plate of buns further across the counter.

But Joyce just smiled, mopping up the spilled juice before fixing Buffy with a confused look. “What’s wrong with the buns, honey?”

“I’d just like to eat something around here that Ted didn’t make.” Buffy shrugged.

Joyce frowned. “Oh, what kind of an attitude is that?”

Buffy let out a breath at that. “Look, Mom, I know you think he’s great and all, but...”

Pouring some juice for herself, Joyce shook her head. “You know, he went out of his way to be nice to you, to the pair of you,” she gave Dawn a pointed look at that, “and neither of you could say two words to him on Saturday. I do not expect you to love him right away like I do, but I do expect you to treat him decently.”

“What?” Dawn squeaked, going wide-eyed.

“You love him?” Buffy added, equally as bewildered.

Joyce blinked. “I- I don’t know,” she admitted slowly before letting out a breath. “That just slipped out.” 

She moved to put the juice back in the fridge then, and behind her back Buffy and Dawn exchanged wide-eyed glances. 

“But I guess,” Joyce continued as she turned back to her daughters, “I mean it’s not exactly like men beat down the door when you’re a single-”

“When you’re a single parent,” the two girls echoed as one. 

They’d heard that from their mom several times since the divorce, but this time there was something a little more ominous about it. A glance at her sister told Dawn that Buffy was thinking much the same as her- what if Joyce stuck with Ted because she felt there was nobody else? And what if that meant Ted stuck around a whole lot longer?

“Look, you two,” Joyce said, trying for a small smile. “I wouldn’t have anything to do with anybody if they didn’t care about you. But he does! I don’t understand why the pair of you can’t see that!”

Another look passed between the two sisters.

“He threatened us,” Buffy said at last.

Joyce frowned. “What?”

“He threatened us,” Buffy repeated. “He said that he was gonna slap my face, and he threatened Dawnie too.”

Dawn nodded, wide-eyed. “He, he said he was gonna, uh, ‘take me over his knee’, Mom!”

Joyce was silent for a long moment, looking between her two daughters with a furrowed brow and a confused look. Dawn could just hear it now, the apologies, and the questions, and the worried stuttering of their mother trying to come to terms with Ted’s threats, and-

“He said no such thing! Girls, Ted told me what happened. He caught you cheating, didn’t he, Buffy?”

Dawn felt the bottom drop out of her stomach then, and white hot tears started building behind her eyes. Beside her, Buffy had stiffened to the point where Dawn wasn’t entirely sure her sister was even breathing.

“Yeah, I kicked my ball in,” Buffy admitted slowly, “put me in jail. But he totally wigged!”

“And Dawn, didn’t you try to make him feel bad by saying you didn’t want to be there and that your dad would let you cheat?”

“Y- Yeah,” Dawn admitted shakily, “but only because he’d threatened Buffy!”

Dawn sniffled hard, but it wasn’t enough to stop the hot tears from spilling down her cheeks. Buffy responded quickly by slipping off her stool and holding Dawn close to her. But Joyce simply frowned at the pair of them, shaking her head in disappointment.

“I’m sorry, sweetheart, but tears aren’t going to fool me. Ted was very good to the pair of you. He didn’t say a word about what either of you had done in front of the others, did he?”

Buffy frowned in disbelief. “Mom, that’s not the -”

“Well,” Joyce interrupted pointedly, “I thought that was pretty decent of him!” She shook her head again. “Ted said we are just gonna have to give you both time to come around. Oh, speaking of which, he’s making dinner for us tonight, so Buffy, I’d like you at home please, promptly at six.”

Buffy clenched her jaw, and gently tugged Dawn out of her seat. “Come on, Dawnie. Let’s go get you cleaned up.”

* * *

Ted, predictably, commandeered the dinner table. He sat at the head of the table, with Buffy at the other end, and Dawn and Joyce on the other two sides. He forced them to say grace too, which was not something they had _ever_ done before in the Summers household, but a stern look from Joyce told both girls it was non-negotiable.

“We thank you for what we are about to receive, and we ask that you bless this house, and help the people in it to be more productive, more considerate, and more honest. Amen.”

“Amen,” Joyce echoed.

Buffy and Dawn pointedly did not join in, but if either Ted or Joyce noticed, they said nothing. As their mother tucked into the food, Dawn and Buffy prodded at their own meals in disgust. While she was hungry, Dawn was rather reluctant to eat anything prepared by Ted. What if she enjoyed it? She wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction. And she knew that Buffy wouldn’t be touching the stuff either.

“Well,” Ted said happily, either not noticing that neither girl was eating, or not caring, “another great day at work! How was school today, girls? Did you learn anything?”

“I guess?” Dawn shrugged, not really wanting to talk.

“I learned quite a bit,” Buffy said, staring directly at Ted as she spoke. 

There was an underlying tone in her voice that Dawn couldn’t place, but it sounded serious and a little Slayer-like, and she couldn’t help but be curious. Ted, however, simply smiled.

“Good for you! Well, Joycie, what do you think?”

Joyce smiled. “I think every home should have one of you. It’s fantastic.” She fixed Buffy and Dawn with a look. “Don’t you think?”

Buffy sniffed. “Looks good.”

“No it doesn’t,” Dawn countered, even though it did. It smelled alright too, but she didn’t want to give Ted the satisfaction of hearing her say it.

“Dawn!”

“Now, Joyce,” Ted soothed, still smiling, “it’s quite alright.” He turned his attention to Dawn. “Would you like something else, Dawnie? I could make you something else?”

“Ted, honey, you don’t have to,” Joyce said quickly. “Dawn will eat the food you’ve cooked for her, won’t you Dawn?”

“No I won’t,” Dawn countered with a frown, and pushed her plate away to make her point. “And don’t call me Dawnie. You don’t get to call me that.”

“Dawn-” Joyce started again, agitation clear in her tone.

“Are you two engaged?” Buffy interrupted suddenly, voice calm and clear.

That made Joyce freeze, and she frowned at her elder daughter. “Goodness, no! Whatever gave you that idea?”

But Ted, at the head of the table, was staring at Buffy in a way that made Dawn think he’d just processed something. Something big. 

“Now, Joycie,” Ted said, still staring at Buffy, “let me handle this.” His tone seemed calm, but there was something in his eyes that scared Dawn. “Girls, your mother and I are taking it one step at a time. And if things go the way I hope, maybe someday soon I just might ask her to tie the knot. How would you feel about that?”

The girls both looked each other before staring back at Ted. Neither of them spoke.

“It’s ok to have feelings, girls, and it’s ok to express them.”

Dawn fixed Ted with a look. “I hate it.”

“I’d feel like killing myself,” Buffy added, blank-faced.

On the opposite side of the table, Joyce looked horrified. “Girls!”

“No, no, I, I told them to be honest,” Ted placated quickly. He turned his attention back to Buffy and Dawn. “Girls,” he said, in a sickly sweet tone that made Dawn’s stomach lurch and her blood run cold, “you should try and get used to me, ‘cause you know what? I’m not going anywhere.”

Dawn forced herself to swallow. “Mom? I want to be excused.”

Even as she spoke the words, she heard Buffy voice a similar sentiment, and Dawn felt a little relieved about that. At least it wasn’t just her who couldn’t bear to be around Ted anymore.

“You can both go to your rooms and stay there,” Joyce said, voice shaking with anger.

As one, the girls rose from the table and left the room quickly.

* * *

“Are you going on patrol?” Dawn asked, watching her sister move around the room.

She’d directly violated their mother’s orders and tagged along to Buffy’s room instead.

Buffy glanced over at her. “Yeah,” she said as she slipped a stake out of her dresser drawer.

“Can- Can I come?”

This made Buffy pause.

“Not to stake vampires or anything,” Dawn added hastily, wide-eyed. “But I- I don’t want to stay here, not with him.”

There was no need to ask who ‘him’ was, and Buffy responded by pulling a cross out of her drawer and tossing it to Dawn.

“Stay close and do as I say, alright?” Buffy instructed.

Dawn nodded eagerly.

* * *

It turned out it was a slow night for the spooks of Sunnydale. They spent an hour and a half sat on the swings in the park, Buffy clutching her stake and Dawn her cross, and they didn’t come across a single vampire. Reluctantly the pair of them headed home, and Buffy had just helped Dawn shimmy through her bedroom window when they realised they weren’t alone in Buffy’s bedroom.

“What are you doing in here?” Buffy demanded as she saw Ted sat in her chair. She pushed Dawn behind her quickly, making sure to stay between her and Ted.

“Your mother told you to go to your rooms, girls. Now, we all know she didn’t mean climb out the window and go gallivanting about town.”

Buffy bristled at that. “First of all, this is _my_ room, second...”

She trailed off, and Dawn followed her sister’s gaze to her dressing table. Stakes, crosses, and bottles of holy water were scattered across its surface. They certainly hadn’t left all that stuff out when they’d left, and the realisation made Dawn freeze.

“You’ve been going through my things?”

Ted was perfectly calm. “Yes, I have.”

“That’s my personal property! How _dare_ you!”

Ted seemed unbothered by Buffy’s anger, though, and somehow that made him even more frightening in Dawn’s eyes. “I don’t see how it’s any different from you snooping around my office, do you?” He picked up Buffy’s diary then and flipped it open. “What exactly is a _vampire slayer_?”

“B- Buffy?” Dawn stuttered, wide-eyed.

Buffy reached behind and grabbed Dawn’s hand, squeezing it reassuringly. “It’s none of your business.”

“Beg to differ, little lady. Everything you do is nothing _but_ my business from now on.”

Jaw clenched, Buffy glared at the man. “I think you’d better get out of here. Now!”

Ted stood, fixing Buffy with a calm, steely look. “Or what? You’ll slay me?” He stepped forward, and Dawn unconsciously dug her fingers into Buffy’s arm, gripping her older sister hard. “I’m real. I’m not some goblin you made up in your little diary. Psychiatrists have a word for something like this: delusional.”

Dawn felt her sister tense even further, and felt the tears building behind her eyes. Memories of the month Buffy spent in hospital in Los Angeles pushed at the edges of Dawn’s mind, and she did her best to push them away again. It wouldn’t happen again. She wouldn’t let it. And besides, she had people to help her now. Willow, and Xander, and Mr Giles. They wouldn’t let Buffy get taken away again... Would they?

“So, from now on, you girls will do what I say, when I say, or I show this,” Ted held up Buffy’s diary, “to your mother. Buffy, you’ll be spending your best dating years behind the wall of a mental institution, and Dawn, what exactly are you going to do without your big sister to hide behind? Your mother and I are going to be happy. You’re not going to stand in the way.” He gave a cold smile. “Now, I think it’s time for all good little ladies to go to bed, don’t you?”

He lunged forward then, shoving Buffy aside. In her surprise, Buffy went down hard, hitting her head on her bed frame. Dawn let out a scream as Ted gripped onto her arm and _dragged_ her. His grip was firm, bruising even, and strangely reminded her of Buffy’s grip with her Slayer powers. No matter how much she struggled, Dawn found she couldn’t quite break free, and she let out another scream as Ted let go of her arm to grab her around the waist and lift her off the ground.

“Buffy!”

“Don’t you touch her!” Buffy yelled, clambering to her feet as Ted headed for her bedroom door.

Dawn was still kicking and screaming, and there was the sound of Joyce calling Ted’s name in confusion. Buffy grabbed at Ted, pulling him back round to face her. Ted dropped Dawn to the ground with a thud as he angrily shook Buffy off and turned on her. Buffy’s diary clattered to the ground too, and Dawn quickly grabbed it and hid it under her sweater. 

“Take your hand off me!” he sneered, and Dawn saw that Buffy’s hand was still fisted in his shirt.

“Why?” Buffy retorted. “So you can hurt Dawn again? I’m not letting a thug like you anywhere near her!”

And before Dawn could process it, Ted had pulled back his arm and hit Buffy hard across the face. She couldn’t even tell if it had been a slap or a punch, but Buffy fell against her closet with a thud and Dawn let out a shriek. 

Staggering to her feet, Buffy gave Ted a cold smile. “Oh, I was _so_ hoping you’d do that.”

She threw a punch at Ted then, sending him staggering into the door. But he righted himself quickly and backhanded Buffy across the face. The blow sent her sprawling, falling once again into the side of her bed and hitting the floor. Dawn sobbed, and hauled herself to her feet. She was vaguely aware of footsteps on the stairs, of her mom’s concerned voice calling up to them, but all she could see was Buffy on the ground.

Her big sister. The Slayer. Dazed and confused, and so clearly losing the fight as Ted grabbed her by the shirt and hauled her up.

As Buffy managed to land a kick to Ted’s shin, Dawn barrelled across the room and threw herself against Ted. But he didn’t even budge, and instead shrugged her off like she was an annoying insect. She hit the ground with a thud again, and Buffy hauled herself to her feet to shove Ted hard towards the door.

“Buffy!” Joyce’s voice came from the doorway. “Stop that! Stop it!”

A little dazed, Dawn pushed herself into a sitting position just in time to see Buffy kick Ted in the chest. The move sent him staggering into the hallway, narrowly avoiding knocking Joyce down. Buffy and Ted disappeared out of sight then, moving down the hallway and Joyce frantically following. Blinking to try and clear her vision of the dancing spots in front of her eyes, Dawn pulled Buffy’s diary out from under her sweater and quickly shoved it under the mattress. She could tell her sister where it was later.

But as she was pulling herself to her feet she heard a series of thuds before frantic footsteps on the stairs. Wide-eyed and terrified that Ted had knocked Buffy down again, Dawn hurried out of the room.

No one was in the hall.

“You killed him!” Dawn heard their mother say, and she quickly moved to look down the stairs.

Buffy was a few steps down, just... Staring. Moving down the stairs to get a better view, Dawn swallowed as she took in the sight. Ted was at the bottom, crumpled with his neck at a weird angle and Joyce kneeling beside him. Slowly, Joyce stood.

“I... I need to call the police.”


	2. Chapter 2

The police hadn’t taken long to arrive, and Dawn joined Buffy on the porch while Ted’s body was dealt with. She didn’t really know how to feel about what had happened. Ted had been horrible, and had hurt them, but Buffy seemed completely broken by the events. She had said nothing, and had moved like she was sleep-walking or something. Joyce was standing nearby, but she’d barely even looked at either of them.

“Ma’am,” a police officer said as he approached Joyce, “I’m Detective Stein. I’m sorry, but I need to ask you a few questions. Your relationship with the deceased?”

In Dawn’s opinion, her mom didn’t look like she was faring much better than Buffy was.

“We were, uh, seeing each other.”

“Can you tell me what happened?” the detective asked.

“He fell,” Joyce said, sounding a little distant. “Down the stairs, he fell.”

“I see,” Detective Stein said. “Uh, did he slip? Do you know what made him fall?”

“I hit him.”

Buffy’s voice seemed to startle everyone, and suddenly all eyes were on her and Dawn on the porch steps.

Buffy sniffed, and met the detective’s gaze. “I hit him.”

* * *

Buffy and Dawn were put in the back of a police car. Dawn didn’t really understand why. Their mom had been made to drive to the station in her own car, and the officers taking them in seemed nice enough, but it was all very odd and detached.

“But we didn’t do anything wrong!” Dawn protested quietly as they were driven through the streets of Sunnydale.

“Dawnie,” Buffy said tiredly, “just don’t.”

“But we _didn’t_!” Dawn insisted again, and for the second time that night she felt tears building behind her eyes. “He _hit us_ , Buffy!”

The two officers taking them in exchanged a look but said nothing. Buffy let out a sigh, and reached out to lace Dawn’s fingers through hers.

“It’s ok,” Buffy murmured, leaning in close to Dawn. “You’re going to be ok.”

Somehow, that didn’t reassure Dawn in the slightest.

* * *

Once at the station, Buffy and Dawn were taken into separate interrogation rooms. A stern lady with a clipboard was introduced to Dawn as Mrs Bell, a social worker.

“I don’t need a social worker,” Dawn said stubbornly.

“Mrs Bell is here so that we can question you, Dawn,” the police officer said gently. “We need to ask you some questions about what happened tonight with your mom’s boyfriend.”

Dawn wasn’t particularly happy about Mrs Bell being there, but she nodded anyway and sat down. She kept her arms folded across her chest, and drew her knees up as much as she could.

“Can you talk us through what happened tonight, Dawn, at your house? With Mr Buchanan?”

Dawn thought for a moment. How much could she tell them? She knew Mr Giles would be angry if she let slip about Buffy being the Slayer. He didn’t want her telling anybody about it.

“Buffy and I got sent to our rooms during dinner,” she admitted slowly, “because Mom thought we were being rude to Ted. We snuck out of Buffy’s bedroom window and went to the park down the street from our house for a bit, and when we got back Ted was in Buffy’s room.”

“Why did you go to the park, Dawn? It must have been late. Already dark. Sunnydale’s not safe after dark.”

Dawn bit back a retort about how she couldn’t be safer with her big sister, and instead shrugged. “We didn’t want to be in the house with Ted. We sat on the swings for a bit.”

The police officer frowned, but made a note of what Dawn had said. “And you say Ted was waiting for you when you got back?”

The eleven year old nodded. “Yeah. He, uh, must have been checking up on us. He’d gone through Buffy’s things, had looked at her diary and stuff. He tried to take it. Buffy argued with him about it.”

“She didn’t like Ted being in her room?”

“No.” Dawn rolled her eyes. “Ever since he started dating our mom, Ted’s been acting like he’s in charge of us. He got angry with Buffy for cheating at mini golf and threatened to hit her, and when I overheard him he threatened to put me over his knee.”

“When was this? The mini golf?”

“Saturday.” Dawn swallowed. “We told Mom but she didn’t believe us.”

The social worked sat up a little straighter at that, and the two police officers in the room shared a look. Dawn wasn’t sure she liked that.

“And what happened tonight, in your sister’s room?”

Dawn shrugged then, even as fear clawed at her throat. “He and Buffy argued, and then he pushed Buffy out the way and grabbed me. He tried to pull me out of the room, said I should be in bed.” She pushed the sleeve of her sweater up, revealing the livid purpling bruises in the shape of Ted’s fingers that proved just how hard he’d grabbed her. “Then he grabbed me by the waist and picked me up. Buffy grabbed him to stop him leaving, and he dropped me and hit Buffy. She fell, but she managed to get back up. That... That was when she hit him back.”

“Did he only hit you and your sister once each?”

“No,” Dawn shook her head. “He hit Buffy again, and she fell again, so I jumped on him to try and stop him hurting her more, but he kind of shook me off and I hit the floor. I think I hit my head.” Dawn picked at a loose thread on her jeans then. “It gets a little fuzzy after that, but Buffy managed to push him out of the room and I didn’t see what happened after.”

More notes were made, and suddenly the two officers were standing.

“We’re going to need to take some photos of the bruises on your arm. Someone will be by in a few minutes with a camera.”

Dawn could only nod as the two officers left the room.

* * *

They were let go. With the photos of Dawn’s bruises taken, she was led back out to the main area of the police station, and was greeted by her mother. Buffy joined them only a few moments later, and Joyce led them out to the car without a word. The two sisters sat in the back of the car together for the uncomfortably silent ride home, and when they reached the house Buffy took Dawn upstairs in silence.

When Buffy joined Dawn in her bed instead of her own, Dawn simply shifted over to give her sister more room.

* * *

Ted’s death was all over the papers the next day, and a lot of people seemed to be talking about it in school. Dawn was pretty relieved when the final bell of the day rang, and she darted out of the classroom to head for the doors. She’d been told by Joyce that morning that she had to attend homework club at Sunnydale High with Buffy, and Dawn had been happy to go.

But when she got outside, Buffy wasn’t there. Instead, a nervous-looking Willow was smiling tightly at her.

“Where’s Buffy?” Dawn asked as she reached the redhead. “I- I mean, not that it’s not great to see you, but...”

“It’s fine,” Willow soothed quickly, taking Dawn’s hand and leading her away from the school. “Buffy’s back at the school. She’s, uh, kinda camped out in Giles’s office. A lot of people were talking about what happened, and she couldn’t face coming to pick you up.”

“People were talking about it here too,” Dawn admitted. Willow gave her a worried look, and Dawn responded with a small, tight smile. “Nobody said anything to my face, but they kept staring.”

“It’s gonna be ok, Dawnie,” Willow said, letting go of the younger girl’s hand to wrap an arm around her shoulders instead. 

“Is it?” Dawn asked, looking up at the older girl. “Mom won’t even look at us. The police put us in a police car and asked us all sorts of questions, and there was a social worker there, and when I told them that Mom hadn’t believed us they all got this funny look on their faces, and what if they try to take me away?”

Willow had gone very pale, and that obviously wasn’t a good sign. “We’re, we’re working on it, Dawnie, I swear. We’re not letting you be taken away from us. You or Buffy. Ok?”

Taking a deep breath, Dawn tried to allow herself to believe that might be true.

* * *

The atmosphere in the library was tense. Xander was pacing while Cordelia and Mr Giles looked over musty books.

“Dawn,” Mr Giles greeted when she and Willow entered the room. He stood and moved towards Dawn, and proceeded to give her a somewhat awkward pat on the shoulder.

“Dawnster,” Xander greeted with a tense smile. “How was school?”

Dawn shrugged, and looked to Willow instead. “You said Buffy was in the office?”

Getting the hint, Willow led Dawn towards Mr Giles’s office and knocked before opening the door slightly. 

“Buffy? Dawn’s here.”

Buffy was sat on the sofa, knees drawn up to her chest and a weary expression on her face. She gave Dawn a tired smile as she slipped into the room.

“How was school?”

“Really bad,” Dawn admitted quietly, quickly moving to snuggle into her sister’s side. “Everybody was talking about Ted.”

There was a tense silence. They could hear Willow and Mr Giles and Cordelia and Xander talking outside.

“- a social worker there,” Willow said, sounding upset. “Dawnie’s scared they’ll take her away.”

“They won’t, will they?” Xander asked, concerned.

It was Mr Giles’s voice next. “If the girls warned Joyce about the threats...”

An awkward silence followed, and Dawn swallowed.

“The police came by the school,” Buffy admitted quietly. “They were asking all my teachers about me.”

Dawn frowned and pulled away a little to see Buffy’s face. “But we can prove he hit us! Why won’t they believe us?”

“Dawn,” Buffy sighed, “we can prove he grabbed _you_. I don’t bruise as easily because I’m the Slayer. All it adds up to is him grabbing you by the arm and me going completely nuts on him as a result. And the moment the police talk to Snyder about all the fights I’ve got into on campus...” She trailed off, shaking her head.

“Well, that’s stupid!” Dawn huffed. “He threatened us! He hurt you! Why won’t anyone believe us?”

But rather than trying to reassure Dawn, Buffy instead gently pushed her away. “Dawnie, do you mind going outside with the others? I’d rather be alone.”

* * *

“Man, this is killing me!” Xander growled out as he continued to pace. “That bastard was up to something, I know it. If I could just get my hands on him...”

Cordelia arched an eyebrow at him. “Maybe not the sort of stuff you should be saying in front of a fifth grader, Xander.” She gave a pointed look at Dawn.

Dawn had reluctantly done as Buffy had said, and had gone back out to join the others. Mr Giles had seemed a little frustrated by her reappearance, although he’d said nothing, and Dawn was watching with some interest as he pulled weapons from the book cage.

“How come you’re allowed to keep those here?” Dawn asked as Mr Giles pulled out a crossbow.

Mr Giles turned to scowl at her. “Strictly speaking, I’m not,” he said, tone tinged with annoyance, “so I’d appreciate your discrepancy.”

Dawn frowned, and Mr Giles huffed.

“Don’t tell anyone,” he clarified, before turning back to the job in hand.

Frowning, Dawn turned her attention back to her sister’s friends.

“I thought you liked him,” Cordelia was saying with a frown.

Xander sighed. “I sometimes like things that are not good for me. Besides, no way, no how does Buffy put the big hurt on an innocent man. Nice Uncle Ted was dirty.”

“Yes, thank you Xander,” Mr Giles huffed as he came out of the cage, carrying a bag and the crossbow. “Perhaps don’t discuss these matters in front of Dawn.”

“I don’t mind,” Dawn shrugged.

“Well I do,” Mr Giles responded. “You know, I sometimes think I perhaps made a mistake letting you come here after school. The things we have to discuss at times are not suitable for young ears.”

Willow looked as hurt as Dawn felt at the librarian’s remark. “Well, where else is she supposed to go?”

Mr Giles looked a little put out at that. “Well they must have after school clubs at Dawn’s own school. There really is no need for her to come here. Frankly, I don’t know why I suggested it.”

“Because Dawn found out Angel’s a vampire and we had to let her in on the fact her big sister’s a vampire slayer?” Xander suggested, a hint of a smirk cracking through his annoyance.

Mr Giles didn’t dignify that with a response, and he instead shot a glance at his office door. “I’m going to tell Buffy that I’ll take over her patrol for the night.” He looked to Dawn. “I’ll give the pair of you a ride home.”

* * *

Mr Giles did indeed give the pair of them a ride home, and it was only marginally less awkward than the ride home from the police station the night before. He saw them inside with a worried look, and didn’t drive off until Buffy and Dawn had waved at him from the sitting room window. 

They found Joyce in the kitchen, packing up baking pans and bowls and pointedly ignoring her daughters. 

“Can I help?” Buffy asked, hovering awkwardly in the doorway.

Joyce didn’t look up. “It’s done,” she said, her voice tight. “I’ve been meaning to clean out this junk for months.” She did glance up then, if only briefly. “Do either of you have homework?”

Buffy swallowed. “I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

“I don’t wanna talk about this,” Joyce responded.

“Mom, please,” Buffy said, and she sounded close to tears, “you have to know-”

“Buffy was protecting me,” Dawn interrupted quickly, pulling up the sleeve of her sweater so her mom would see the bruises. “Ted grabbed me, and, and-”

Joyce had gone pale at the sight of the livid bruises on her daughter’s arm, but still she shook her head. “I can’t,” she said, swallowing. “Not yet. Please, girls, just go to your rooms.”

Buffy bit at her lip, and Dawn was close to tears as well, but they both did as their mother asked. As they headed through the dining room, they heard a noise that sounded distinctly like a sob coming from the kitchen. 

Dawn paused.

Buffy didn’t.

* * *

Dawn was sat alone in her room when she heard low angry voices from Buffy’s room.

“You died,” she heard Buffy say.

“That’s right, little lady.” Ted’s voice drifted through the wall and Dawn’s stomach lurched. “You killed me. Do we have something to say about that? Are we sorry?”

As Buffy responded, Dawn found she wasn’t even listening. Instead, she was on her feet and running for her sister’s room. Throwing the door open, she was just in time to see Ted yank Buffy across the room so she fell into the chair at her dressing table.

“A good salesman always bounces back!” Ted declared.

And as he lunged for Buffy, Dawn let out a scream.

* * *

Apparently, her screaming had been enough of a distraction for Buffy to slip out of Ted’s way and deliver a harsh kick to his gut. She followed it with an uppercut to his jaw, but while Ted flinched he didn’t so much as stumble.

Wide-eyed, Dawn watched as he took punch after punch from Buffy without even staggering. Then, he grabbed Buffy by the throat and hauled her up to pin her against the wall.

“No!” Dawn screamed, and ran at him.

But Ted didn’t even let go of Buffy as he backhanded Dawn hard across the face the moment she was in reach. She flew across the room and hit the wall with a thud. The last thing Dawn saw before she lost consciousness was her sister’s wide, frightened eyes staring across the room at her.

* * *

When Dawn came round, there were low, frantic voices filling the room.

“- coming round!” a voice that sounded distinctly like Willow excitedly squeaked.

Dawn groaned, and squeezed her eyes shut, and tried to push herself into a sitting position but her body felt too heavy.

“You need to stay still,” another voice said, sounding exasperated. “What is it with you people and not staying still?”

“Cordy,” a third voice said, and it must have been Xander, Dawn realised, “give the kid a break.”

“Whatever,” Cordelia huffed. “I’m going to try Giles’s place again. How long does patrol take, anyway?”

There was the sound of a door shutting then, and when Dawn finally cracked an eye open she found herself staring into Willow’s concerned eyes.

“Are you ok?” Willow said, pulling back a little so Dawn could see she was still in Buffy’s room. “Buffy said Ted hit you pretty hard.”

“Where is she?” Dawn ground out. “Where’s Buffy?”

“She’s downstairs scraping bits of Ted off the floor,” Xander said cheerfully. “You wouldn’t believe how much of a mess robots can make.”

Dawn blinked in confusion and pushed herself up against Buffy’s pillows. “Robots?”

“Yeah,” Willow confirmed with a sympathetic smile. “Ted was kind of a robot. He used to be human, once upon a time, but that was years ago. Now he’s just a machine with memories of being human.”

Dawn didn’t know whether it was the headache that made what Willow said make very little sense or whether it was just one of those confusing _my-sister-is-a-Slayer-and-this-is-my-life_ things.

“What about Mom?” Dawn managed after a moment. “Is she ok? Did Ted hurt her?”

Willow and Xander exchanged awkward looks then.

“Your mom’s ok,” Xander said slowly, “but Ted knocked her out. Buffy beeped Cordy and we got here just as she was coming round.”

“As far as your mom’s concerned, Ted came back and went mental on you all before running off into the night,” Willow added cheerily. “She seemed to buy it, and we said we’d help tidy up the house, so she went to bed.”

Cordelia reappeared then, looking an odd mix of confused and relieved.

“I just got off the phone with Ms. Calendar,” she told them. “She and Giles are on their way over. She said something about Giles getting shot with his own crossbow on patrol, but I wasn’t really listening.”

“Of course you weren’t,” Xander said with a smile. “Did you fill them in on Ted?”

Cordelia nodded and looked to Willow. “She said something about disassembling it? They should be here soon.”

“I should wait downstairs,” Willow said, getting up from where she’d been sat on the edge of the bed. “Keep an eye out for them. That way they won’t wake Mrs Summers.”

Xander stood too, and Dawn threw back the covers.

“Woah, where are you off to, Dawnster?” Xander asked, wide-eyed.

The eleven year old glared. “I’m not staying up here on my own.”

“You got thrown into a _wall_ ,” Cordelia pointed out. “You should stay up here.”

Dawn pointedly ignored her and pushed her way out of bed anyway. There was a wave of dizziness that left her clinging to Willow, but she stubbornly remained on her feet.

“God,” Cordelia grumbled under her breath. “You’re as bad as your sister.” Shaking her head, she led the way out of the room.

* * *

When Mr Giles and Ms. Calendar arrived about fifteen minutes later, Buffy and Dawn had been forced onto the sofa in the sitting room while Willow watched over what remained of Ted.

“Are you two alright?” Ms. Calendar asked Buffy and Dawn worriedly. “Do you need to go to hospital?”

“I think we’re ok,” Buffy said quietly, giving the woman a small smile. “I checked Dawn over after I dealt with Ted and I don’t think she’s broken anything.”

That didn’t seem to reassure either Mr Giles or Ms. Calendar, though, and the two adults shared a look.

“I don’t wanna go to hospital,” Dawn chipped in quickly. “They might call social services!”

Buffy pulled Dawn closer to her at that, and the two adults exchanged yet another look this time complete with wide-eyed glances.

“Ah, yes,” Mr Giles said awkwardly, “that would be somewhat of a dilemma.”

Ms. Calendar pursed her lips. “You’re not in pain?” she asked Dawn carefully. “You don’t feel dizzy or sick?”

Dawn truthfully did feel a little dazed and nauseous, but she shook her head anyway.

“I’m going to deal with this robot, and when I’m done, I’m going to check you over if that’s alright,” Ms. Calendar said then, before glancing at Buffy. “I’ll check you over too. Just to be on the safe side.”

Dawn thought her sister might protest, but instead Buffy nodded tiredly. As Ms. Calendar left the room, Xander turned cheerily to Mr Giles.

“So, Cordelia told us you got shot on patrol.”

“What?” Buffy demanded, eyes widening at the news.

Mr Giles responded with an eye roll and annoyed sigh. “I’m fine, Xander. There was a slight mishap, but Ms. Calendar took me to hospital, and-”

“How did it happen?” Buffy demanded, frowning up at the librarian.

Mr Giles’s cheeks flushed and Xander sniggered.

“Oh, it _has_ to be bad if Giles is blushing,” the teen practically crowed.

“I, well, that is to say there was a small incident when Jenny- ah, _Ms. Calendar_ \- joined me on patrol.”

Buffy gave him a sympathetic look. “Did you get distracted with the smooching?”

That was cause for another eye roll. “No we did not,” Mr Giles retorted. “I got into a fight with a vampire and Ms. Calendar, ah, misjudged her aim.”

“I did not!” came Ms. Calendar’s indignant shout from the kitchen. “You moved!”

Jaw clenched, Mr Giles quickly moved through the sitting room and disappeared out to the kitchen. “You’ll wake Mrs Summers,” they heard him say. “Do you want to explain why we’re disassembling her boyfriend in her kitchen?”

When he returned to the sitting room a few moments later, Mr Giles looked more flustered than Dawn had ever seen him, and she couldn’t help but giggle. He arched an eyebrow at her, but said nothing.

* * *

Ms. Calendar came back into the sitting room nearly half an hour later, and took Buffy and Dawn upstairs to check them over. While the teacher checked Buffy, Dawn examined her reflection in her sister’s mirror. There was a large, purpling bruise on her left cheek, presumably from where Ted had hit her; and a lump on the right side of her head where she had hit the wall. Dawn grimaced at her reflection.

“What will happen when I go to school tomorrow?” Dawn asked as Ms. Calendar carefully examined Buffy’s jaw.

“What do you mean?” Ms. Calendar frowned, her gaze flitting briefly to Dawn before returning to Buffy. To the older girl, she said: “It looks fine, and there’s only a little bit of bruising, but you need to tell Rupert or I if it’s still hurting tomorrow, alright? Ted was designed to be pretty strong, and considering he managed to knock you out...”

She trailed off with a concerned look, and Dawn was surprised to see that Buffy just nodded.

“I will. It feels a little sore, but it’s already feeling better now than it did an hour or so ago.”

Ms. Calendar studied Buffy carefully at that, probably trying to gage whether or not she was telling the truth. Seemingly satisfied, she turned her attention to Dawn.

“Why are you worried about school?” Ms. Calendar asked gently, as she gestured for Dawn to come over to Buffy’s bed.

Buffy stood then, so Dawn could take her place beside Ms. Calendar, and as the younger girl settled on the bed she bit her lip, considering what to say.

“It’s just... Everyone at school was already talking about Ted,” she said as Ms. Calendar carefully scrutinised her purpling cheek and the lump on her head. “And if I show up tomorrow with a huge bruise on my face people will be talking about it even more! And what if one of the teachers decides that Mom’s to blame?”

“Dawnie,” Buffy broke in gently, arms folded across her chest as she stood by the side of her bed, “I’m not letting anyone take you away. Not the police, not social services, not anybody.”

“I need to check your back,” Ms. Calendar said apologetically to Dawn. “Just to double-check you’re alright.”

Dawn nodded, and lifted her sweater to show the woman the darkening bruises on her back and side. Gently, Ms. Calendar ran her fingers over Dawn’s skin, checking for any abnormalities.

“Looks fine,” she said with a small frown. “Really, I’m surprised he didn’t break your ribs.” She turned to Buffy. “You’ll need to keep an eye on her though. She’s probably got a concussion.”

“Already on it,” Buffy assured with a tight smile. “It’s a good thing Giles insisted on teaching me basic first aid, huh?”

The older woman gave a wan smile back at that. “I do have to tell the pair of you, though, that Willow tested the cookies Ted gave to Xander. They contained drugs. He’d been lacing the food, which was why your mom didn’t listen to you. Willow, Xander, and Cordelia have all the information with them. We can hand it over to the police. Once they see that Ted was drugging your mother, it’s unlikely they’ll move to take either of you away.”

Buffy and Dawn stared at one another then. 

“So... Mom was drugged?” Dawn asked, voice quiet and confused. “That’s why she didn’t listen to us? It wasn’t because she didn’t care?”

Buffy said nothing, and instead just bit her lip as she furrowed her brow. Dawn got it. It was weird, she supposed. On the one hand, it was nice to know there was a _reason_ why their mom hadn’t listened to them, and it made a lot of sense that Ted had been doing something to keep her on his side. But on the other hand, Dawn couldn’t help but remember just how terrified she’d felt when Joyce had accused them of lying. Wasn’t a mother supposed to always help you? It wasn’t her fault, she’d been drugged, and that was much better than finding out that she just didn’t care about Dawn and Buffy, but it also didn’t make the hurt just go away.

“What happens now?” Buffy asked suddenly, voice low and uncertain.

Ms. Calendar frowned. “About what?”

Buffy responded with a shrug. “About Mom. You said the police probably won’t involve social services once they find out Ted was drugging everyone with his food. And I get that it’s not fair to blame Mom for something she had no control over. But she looked us in the eyes and told us that we were lying about Ted’s threats. She told Dawn to stop crying, she said I was just angry he’d caught me cheating at stupid mini golf, and she didn’t even for a moment stop to consider that there was something wrong. And I _know_ it was the drugs, and I _know_ this isn’t fair, but he made us feel unsafe in our own home, and I can’t help but feel like Mom helped him!”

And then Buffy burst into tears, and that made Dawn cry, and even Ms. Calendar’s eyes looked oddly damp. She stood from the bed a little awkwardly, and for a moment Dawn thought she was going to hug Buffy. But instead Ms. Calendar left the room hurriedly, her footsteps sounding on the stairs.  


Only a few seconds later, there were more hurried footsteps, and Mr Giles appeared in the doorway, a worried frown on his face. He took one look at the two crying girls, and swallowed, before moving into the room.

He went to Buffy, and Dawn couldn’t help but feel a little bereft at that. She knew Mr Giles was Buffy’s Watcher, and she got the distinct impression he mostly only put up with her for Buffy’s sake, but it would have been _nice_ for him to pay a little attention to her. Ok, so the hug he was giving Buffy looked a little awkward and uncertain, but it was the thought that counted, and nobody seemed to be giving a thought about Dawn.

But as Buffy pulled away from the man, her tears beginning to slow, Mr Giles carefully peeled himself away and moved to Dawn. Sitting beside her on the bed, he wrapped an arm around Dawn’s shoulders, and instinctively the eleven year old moved into the loose embrace.

She had known from when she’d visited him at his apartment after she and Buffy had returned from Los Angeles that Giles wasn’t exactly the _best_ at emotional stuff. He’d been awkward about Dawn crying then, too. But it just felt nice to have someone who wasn’t Buffy hugging her for once. Ever since Ted had shown up, their mom had stopped hugging them, and Dawn hadn’t realised how much she’d missed it until now.

“I’m not very good at this sort of thing,” Mr Giles confided to the room at large, “but I do think I saw the supplies for cocoa in the kitchen?”

“Cocoa sounds good,” Buffy said quietly, giving Mr Giles a small smile.

“Right,” Mr Giles nodded, before looking to Dawn. “Ah, Dawn? Would you like some cocoa?”

Dawn nodded, sniffling into Mr Giles’s jacket. He grimaced, but everybody chose to ignore it. Buffy held her hand out to Dawn and pulled her up off the bed.

“Come on,” she said with a tight smile. “We need to go see how bad Giles’s cocoa-making skills are.”

As Buffy led Dawn from the room, she heard Mr Giles grumble behind them. “I’ll have you know, I’m perfectly good at making cocoa.”

Dawn barely managed to suppress her snigger.

* * *

Ms. Calendar sent Willow, Xander, and Cordelia off with the disassembled Ted to scatter his parts around in various trash cans across Sunnydale, with the instructions to go straight home when they were finished. 

“If Ted was a robot,” Dawn said as she and Buffy sat side by side at the kitchen island, “how did you kill him?”

“I hit him with a frying pan,” Buffy said with a shrug. “I think I made him short-circuit.”

Mr Giles glanced over from where he was making the cocoa, but said nothing. 

“She knocked some wiring loose,” Ms. Calendar confided as she entered the kitchen. “That and he was leaking motor oil.” She grimaced at the floor. “I just hope your Mom doesn’t notice that.”

“If she hasn’t noticed all the demon blood she’s had to wash out of my clothes, I don’t think she’s going to notice some motor oil on the floor,” Buffy responded with a small smile.

Mr Giles put two cups of cocoa on the kitchen island then, and the sisters pulled them closer eagerly.

“I’m really not sure I like the idea of leaving the pair of you here alone,” Mr Giles admitted with a grimace as he watched Buffy and Dawn sip at their cocoa.

Dawn frowned. “We’re not alone, Mr Giles,” she said. “Mom’s here.”

Mr Giles pursed his lips at that, and Dawn didn’t quite know what to make of it. “Yes,” he agreed slowly, “but Ted has been drugging her for at least a week or two, possibly longer. It could take several days at least to get out of her system.”

“Giles,” Buffy broke in with a soft smile, “we’ll be fine. Ted’s being scattered around town as we speak, and I think Mom’s learned her lesson about bringing strange men home.”

The librarian looked only marginally comforted by Buffy’s words, and he looked like he was about to protest when Ms. Calendar placed a hand on his arm.

“Rupert, we should probably be letting the girls get some rest. They’ve had a long night. Besides, the pain relief they gave you at the hospital should be wearing off soon.”

Almost as if Ms. Calendar’s words had triggered something, Mr Giles winced.

“Right,” he sighed, before looking with a frown to Buffy. “You’ll call, if you need anything?”

Buffy nodded solemnly. “Right away,” she promised. 

Mr Giles’s eyes flitted briefly to Dawn before falling back on Buffy. “And you’re sure you can cope with Dawn?”

Dawn frowned at that. “Hey!”

A smirk tugging on Buffy’s lips, she nodded again. “Yes, Giles. Go. We’ll be fine.”

Mr Giles didn’t seem to notice the slight tremor in Buffy’s voice. So Dawn didn’t mention it.

* * *

It still took another ten minutes to get Mr Giles out the door, and when he and Ms. Calendar were finally gone, Buffy sagged against the wall tiredly. Dawn stood awkwardly in the hall, not really knowing what to do.

“You should go to bed,” Buffy said tiredly.

“So should you,” Dawn countered.

It was a mark of how tired Buffy was that she didn’t argue. Usually, she would have pulled the big sister card, or the Slayer card. But instead, she just sighed.

“Come on,” she said, pushing away from the wall to steer Dawn up the stairs. “I need some sleep.”

Dawn paused halfway up the stairs, turning back to stare at her sister in the gloom. “Buffy?”

“Yeah?”

“Can... I mean, it’s fine, really, but... Well, I was wondering...” Dawn took a breath. “Can I sleep in with you tonight? Just... Just in case?”

There was a long silence, and the stairs were too dark for Dawn to see her sister’s facial expression. Then:

“We can sleep in your room.”

And in the dark, Buffy reached for her sister’s hand and squeezed it tight.


End file.
